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I have been the Director of Liturgy at St. Richard’s Catholic Church since October 2012. As liturgy is the source and summit of our faith, the purpose of the purpose of this position encompasses the base of our faith in preparing, facilitating, empowering, and enhancing participation in the liturgical life and ministry of the parish as well as hospitality, adult faith formation, evangelization, and spirituality.

What is a Liturgist? I collaborate with Fr. Mark Pavlik, Betsy Sullivan, and the Worship Commission in the following areas: · Oversight of the liturgical life of the parish. · Directing the discernment of liturgy and prayer needs. needs. · Coordination of all liturgical celebrations, collaborating with staff as necessary (including sacramental celebrations, Anointing Mass and November Vespers). · Recruitment, scheduling and training of liturgical ministers; providing ongoing liturgical formation for all ministers. · Creation of worship aids for seasons and celebrations. · Oversight of the church’s liturgical environment. · Representation of the parish at ecumenical prayer events. · Providing the parish with education about liturgical practice, policy and guidelines.

A little about my background. I was born and raised in Pocahontas, a small town in northwest Iowa. Iam the oldest of four girls. One of my favorite childhood memories is frequent family trips to the Grotto in West Bend, IA. I was, and still am, in awe of the love and commitment the pastor of that small parish had in creating the Grotto. It was like my own retreat. I still stop through frequently today.

From my mom, who passed away in December of 2007, I learned about the joy of service: the Ladies Society would serve donuts and juice and coffee each Sunday after Mass and were responsible for cleaning the church and providing food for funerals, and I thought "I wanted to do that some day." Ah, the dreams of a little girl.

I have lived in the Twin Cities since 1982 and had the opportunity to work in a number of parishes: All Saints in Lakeville, St. Peter in Richfield, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton in Hastings, St. Timothy in Blaine, St. Thomas More (and before that, Immaculate Heart of Mary) in St. Paul and most recently, Transfiguration in Oakdale. I also worked at the University of St. Thomas for eleven years, first as Director of Weddings and Special Event Liturgies and then as Facilities Scheduling Manager for the St. Paul Campus. While most of my ministry has been in the area of liturgy and music, I have also ministered in the areas of funerals and bereavement programs, new parishioner orientation, RICA and parish formation, to name a few.

The Church's social teaching is a rich treasure of wisdom about building a just society and living lives of holiness amidst the challenges of modern society. Following are two of the seven key themes that are at the heart of our Catholic social tradition.

We are celebrating National Vocation Awareness Week (January 13-19). My thoughts, reflections and experiences in my own life have varied over the years, having been raised in small town Iowa, then moving to a larger city for college, then out-of-state, to the convent, and then ministering in the church for many years as a single woman.